Fourteen former members of the Kelowna Rockets are taking advantage of WHL scholarships for the fall semester of the 2016-17 academic year.
Among them is Tyson Baillie who is currently attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton and plays with the Golden Bears.
Baillie played parts of five seasons with Kelowna including three spent as an alternate captain. He accumulated 310 points in 329 games. He was also part of the 2014-15 championship Rockets team. Baillie was also named as a WHL first all-star in 2015-16.
Another member of the Rockets last season, Cole Linaker, is also at the U of A and plays for the Golden Bears. Linaker amassed 120 points in 253 games with the Rockets that spanned over parts of five seasons. He was also part of the championship Rockets of 2014-15. He spent one season serving as an alternate captain for Kelowna.
Zach Franko played parts of four WHL seasons with the Rockets collecting 199 points for Kelowna in 252 games. Franko is attending Mount Royal University in Calgary where he plays for the Cougars hockey team.
Other Rockets alumni included in this semesters scholarships are: Cody Chikie – Northern Alberta Institute of Technology; Mitchell Wheaton – St. Francis Xavier University; Colton Heffley – Dalhousie University; MacKenzie Johnson – University of Saskatchewan; Jordan Cooke – University of Saskatchewan; Cody Fowlie – University of Regina; Jesse Lees – Mount Royal University; Kevin Smith – University of British Columbia; Spencer Main – University of British Columbia; Mitchell Chapman – UBC; and Chance Braid – Acadia University.
The 14 Rockets are among a total of 355 WHL graduate players have been awarded WHL Scholarships for the fall semester of the 2016-17 academic year. The 355 WHL Scholarships awarded represent the highest total for the fall academic season in WHL history, improving upon a mark set last year.